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Corvinus Clan
The Corvinus Clan, (lit. the "Clan of the Raven"), is a Hungarian clan whose genealogy plays a crucial plot device in the ''Underworld'' franchise. According to the prologue in the novelization of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the Corvinus Clan's domain was a Duchy."None was spared save Alexander, Duke of Corvinus." ~Prologue, Rise of the Lycans novelization The Clan's dormain also included a castle, Castle Corvinus; which later came into possession of the Vampire's Old World Coven, and was the seat of their power for centuries, before being overrun by Lucian's forces. It was later burned down in a clash between Vampires and Lycans. History The Corvinus Clan has been around since at least the early seasons of the fifth century, if not earlier. Described by Lycan scientist Singe as "the rarest of bloodlines", it was from within the blood of one Alexander Corvinus, a Warlord, Duke, and the Patriarch of the Corvinus Clan, (and a recipient of this same rare bloodline), that the Corvinus Strain was mutated, in his immune system's response to a plague that ravaged his home village, his rare bloodstrain bonding with and adapting the plague virus, and himself in turn, to his benefit. In the end, Alexander alone survives the plague, becoming "the first true Immortal". The Corvinus Strain immortality virus would later become the parent strain for two subspecies; Vampires and Lycans, which mutated through his twin sons, Marcus and William Corvinus. Both Marcus and William inherited the Corvinus strain in its active form, ensuring that they were both born Immortal. Years later, as adults, William was bitten by a rabid wolf first, and later Marcus was bitten by a bat. In immune responses to the bites, they also bonded with, and were altered by, both the viruses and animal DNA that was deposited by the bites of the respective animals, resulting in the creation of two distinctive Immortal subspecies; Werewolves, (who later gave way to Lycans) and Vampires. Alexander's wife, Helena, was a normal human, and their third son would only inherit the Corvinus Strain in a dormant form, and, as only a "Carrier", lived and died in a normal human lifespan, but not before continuing on the Corvinus bloodline. The dormant Corvinus Strain would appear less and less with each generation, but at least one known family line, (Michael Corvin's), can be positively traced through the male line all the way back to Alexander Corvinus through his mortal third son, by the continued presence of the dormant Corvinus Strain perserved in their blood throughout the centuries. The family name "Corvinus" survives to the present day as "Corvin". The ancient history of the Corvinus Clan has been long forgotten by its modern-day mortal descendants. In Underworld: Evolution, it is revealed that Alexander Corvinus had remained hidden in the shadows of time, and that he had created a secretive group known as the Cleaners to clean up all evidence of the war between the Vampires and Lycans. It is hinted in Evolution that Alexander had kept track of his mortal descendants, as he identifies himself as Michael Corvin's "forefather" when they meet. Following the events of the Lycan Rebellion, Viktor, one of the Vampire Elders, in his attempt to rewrite the past and take Marcus's place in history as the first Vampire, goes as far as to discredit even the very existence of the Corvinus Clan to the rebuilt Old World Coven. He even goes as far as to banish Andreas Tanis, the Coven's historian, (and one of the few old enough to remember the truth), citing that Tanis had been documenting "malicious lies". As such, to the Vampire Nation as a majority, the Corvinus Clan is remembered as nothing more that a "ridiculous legend". In the family's more recent history, Michael Corvin's paternal grandparents immigrated to America from Hungary in the 1940s, after the events of World War II. Years later, around 1975, their grandson, Michael Corvin, was born. At the age of 28, Michael relocated to Hungary for a fresh start of his own, getting an internship as a trauma surgeon, less than a year before the events of the first film. At some point between the time Lucian turned Singe and the events before the first film, present-day members of Alexander's mortal descendants were tracked down and abducted by Lycans, on Lucian's orders. One by one their blood was tested for the Corvinus Strain, and they all tested negative. Afterwards, they were killed. An unknown number of the Corvin family were killed before the Lycans turned their attentions to Michael Corvin. ''Underworld In the first film, Lycans working under the orders of Lucian track down modern day blood descendents of the Corvinus Clan in order to test them for the presence of the Corvinus Strain. Lucian is seeking to unite the offshoot viruses of the Corvinus Strain through their parent strain, the Corvinus Strain itself. According to the ''Underworld novelization, whenever a subject is confirmed to not have the much sought-after Corvinus Strain, the Lycans would then kill the victim. An unknown number of Alexander's modern day mortal descendents are abducted, tested, and killed before Michael Corvin's blood tests positive for the dormant strain. One of the last two to die was a man named James T. Corvin. ''Underworld: Evolution In the events of the second film, Alexander himself dies after refusing any first-aid for the grievous injuries dealt to him by his own son, Marcus. Within a few hours of murdering his father, Marcus is himself slain by Selene, and his twin brother, William, is slain by their great nephew, Michael Corvin. To date, after the events of the fourth film, the only known remaining members of the Corvin Family/Corvinus Clan are Michael Corvin and his daughter, Eve. Known Members * Alexander Corvinus (Patriarch, Deceased) * Helena Corvinus (By Marriage, Deceased) * Marcus Corvinus (Deceased) * William Corvinus (Deceased) * Unnamed Third Son of Corvinus (Deceased) * Wife of Unnamed Third Son of Corvinus (By Marriage, Deceased) * Michael's Paternal Grandfather (Deceased) * Michael's Paternal Grandmother (By Marriage, Deceased) * Michael's Father (Deceased) * Michael's Mother (By Marriage, Deceased) * James T. Corvin (Deceased) * Michael Corvin * Eve Trivia * The name, (or epithet), "Corvinus", is derived from the Ancient Roman Gens "Corvina", (feminine form of corvino), both of which are from the Latin "corvus", meaning "Raven". The genus "Corvus" in the family "Corvidae", (which is itself within the superfamily "Corvoidea"), is the genus for Ravens, (as well as crows, jackdaws and the rook). * "Corvinus", or "Corvin", was a name assigned by Romanians to those who became warlords, nobles or even a king of Hungary. The first Corvin was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hunyadi John Hunyadi (''Ioannes Corvinus)], Voivode of Transylvania, Regent-Governor of the Kingdom of Hungary, who married a Hungarian countess. * According to the documentary Fang VS. Fiction, there was a real life Corvinus Clan around the same time as Vlad the Impaler, and that there were stories circulating about members of the clan becoming Vampires and Werewolves, as well as other things. * In Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Lucian calls all Vampires and Lycans "the children of Corvinus". * Dispite Viktors efforts to re-write history, it appears that a few might have taken the "ridiculous legend" of the Corvinus Clan more seriously. In Awakening, when Selene mentions Alexander Corvinus's name, Detective Sebastian, (though human), recognises the name. It is likely that he had heard of Alexander Corvinus through his late wife, who would likely have approached other Vampires after she was bitten, and would have learned of the legend of Alexander Corvinus. * Nicolae is a non-canon member of the Corvinus Clan, appearing only in the novel, Blood Enemy. Naturally, so too would his mother have been a member by marriage. References Category:Character Category:Underworld characters Category:Evolution characters Corvinus Clan